Little Egret

"Little egret" by Karthik Easvur - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons

So here is the 365th post for 2015. I have scratched my head about which species to make the last. All the species I have photos of have been included already and I didn't get out today to find a new one. 
The choice of Little Egret, Egretta garzetta, was made because birds were the first 'wildlife' I began to take notice of and their establishment as a breeding bird in the UK is a relatively recent phenomenon which many consider evidence of climate change. Their big cousin, the Great Egret, is soon to follow in its footsteps.
And it is its feet that are worth noticing. Usually you can't see them as they are wading about in shallow water, but they are bizarrely yellow. Perhaps because on light muddy or sandy shores it disguises them better? Not a strategy shared by other birds with similar feeding habits.

Will I post again tomorrow?

I have decided to stop posting 'daily' but to continue to post when I encounter a new species. It has been a great thing to do over the last twelve months and the aim, to enhance my appreciation of other living things, has been amply met. I have learnt a lot and developed an appetite to learn more. It feels like a proper beginning of something; it's not quite clear what.

Rook

"Corvus frugilegus -Dartmoor" by Brian Snelson Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons

I've noticed that some Rooks, Corvus frugilegus, are already nest building and possibly even sitting on eggs. It's such a mild winter that this can happen, although a cold snap can be catastrophic for the young if it is prolonged after hatching.

Floating Sweet-Grass

This is Floating Sweet-Grass, Glyceria fluitans, doing what it says on the tin. It is common in slightly nutrient enriched fresh water ditches where it forms rafts, as seen here.

Watercress

This is Water-cress, Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum, which is common in the ditches around the reserve. The Latin name gives away its culinary comparison with nasturtium - a peppery flavour. Care should be taken if eating wild Water-cress as it can harbour the cyst stage of liver-fluke, a parasite of sheep and cattle. Only take it from a stream with running water where there are no grazing animals.

Broad-leaved Pondweed

It's been so mild that there is quite a bit of growing going on out there. This is Broad-leaved Pondweed, Potamogeton natans, growing in one of the many ditches. It's only in this ditch that I've come across it, unlike the ubiquitous Lemma minuta. The pondweeds are a tricky group with around twelve species. This is fairly easy to identify because the leaves float and there is often a discoloured joint at the end of the long leaf-stalk.

Black-Tailed Godwit

By Richard Crossley (Richard Crossley) CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

I was doing the WeBS survey down on Lewes Brooks RSPB reserve this morning. There was no wind and it was cold but not crisp. Still few wildfowl, just mallards and a handful of wigeon and teal. But the lapwing were there in numbers, around 200 or so, and when the flock was in the air I noticed another bird flying with them. It looked like an oversized snipe but the trailing feet, clear black terminal band on the tail and white trailing edge of the wings showed it to be a Black-Tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa. It is unusual to see a solitary bird and I think this was the first time I'd seen one on the Brooks. The birds in the UK are of the Icelandic race, L. l. islandica. It calls repetitively in flight.
The similar Bar-Tailed Godwit has a barred tail (no, really) and an equally long beak which has a slight curve upwards. The Black-Tailed Godwit has been Red-Listed since 1996 but the numbers overwintering in Sussex have been increasing over the last 20 years with Pagham and Chichester harbours holding around 3% of the national total. 
 

Common Duckweed

This grows in the ditches down on the reserve at Lewes Brooks. It's Common Duckweed, Lemna minor. There are other Lemnas...Greater, Rootless, Least, Fat and Ivy-leaved. So you don't have to settle on this one. But you do need to get up close to discern them. Minor has three veins but minuta (Least) only has one.

Spanish or Lusitanian Slug

Hmmm, time for another mollusc. Not as cute as the Door Snail but certainly commoner, in the south at least. This is an invasive species, originally referred to as the Lusitanian slug but now usually known as the Spanish Slug: Arion vulgaris. It lays more eggs than our native slugs and they are more resistant to drought. It also has a less discerning diet.
This one is chasing a leucistic cousin. 

Hard Rush

There's plenty of this about on the Lewes Brooks RSPB reserve. It is one of our commonest rushes: Hard Rush, Juncus inflexus. The inflorescence appears lateral, but in fact the apparent continuation of the stem is the bract. 
It is similar to the also common Soft Rush, Juncus effusus, but the latter has a smoother surface and continuous pith, whereas J. inflexus has a greyer green harder stem with 12-18 longitudinal ridges and interrupted pith. 
In t' olden days they would be used as candle wicks.

Creeping Thistle

Most of these have 'gone over' already but I came across one in reasonable fettle when I was doing the WeBS survey. It is Creeping Thistle, Cirsium arvense, and is one of our commonest thistles. It differs from Spear Thistle and Marsh Thistle in having smooth, furrowed stems. 
Despite being an important food plant for over 20 species of lepidoptera, many finches and other invertebrates, it is classified as an injurious weed under the Weeds Act (1959)!

Common Reed

This is Common Reed, Phragmites australis, which is a grass. It forms large beds on suitable substrate and has been of great economic importance historically, primarily as a roofing material. 
Ecologically reed beds provide habitat for a wide range of species. Three birds dependent on reed beds are the Bittern, Botaurus stellarius, the Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, and the Bearded Reedling (aka the Bearded Tit), Panurus biarmicus. Many others are associated with them, e.g. Reed Bunting and Sedge Warbler.

Water Mint

I was down on the RSPB reserve doing a slightly overdue WeBS count and picked up a few species amenable to photographic capture. This was one: Water Mint or Mentha aquatica. It smells minty (being a mint).

Common Shrew

Came across this whilst doing the WeBS survey on Friday: a common shrew, Sorex araneus. They are widespread and common, as the name suggests, being one of Europe's commonest mammals. Consequently they feature on the menu of many a predator. They are largely nocturnal to avoid such a culinary fate. They need to consume 2-3x their own mass each day and can starve to death in a few as five hours. They are unable to store sufficient fat to hibernate so are active year-round. I'm not really sure what this one succumbed to.

Water Horsetail

I was down on Lewes Brooks RSPB reserve early this morning doing a WeBS survey and noticed the water horsetail, Equisetum fluviatile, was coming up. It has yet to develop the whorled branches but is not difficult to identify. Not all the stems develop a terminal cone. In cross-section the stems are hollow with a thin circular wall.